"No one has shown that Mars was not created by the Aliens. Therefore, Mars is…
2023
"No one has shown that Mars was not created by the Aliens. Therefore, Mars is actually created by the Aliens". Which fallacy is involved in the above statement?
Answer: C. Appeal to Ignorance — ConceptAn appeal to ignorance is a reasoning error in which the absence of evidence against a claim is treated as evidence that the claim is true, or the…
- A.
Red Herring
- B.
Hasty Generalisation
- C.
Appeal to Ignorance
- D.
Begging the Question
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
An appeal to ignorance is a reasoning error in which the absence of evidence against a claim is treated as evidence that the claim is true, or the absence of proof for a claim is treated as proof that it is false. The burden of proof remains with the person making the claim; lack of disproof does not establish truth.
Application
The premise says that no one has shown that Mars was not created by aliens.
The conclusion turns that absence of disproof into positive support for the claim that aliens created Mars.
Contrast
Red Herring shifts attention to an irrelevant issue rather than using absence of evidence as proof.
Hasty Generalisation draws a broad conclusion from an inadequate sample rather than from a lack of disproof.
Appeal to Ignorance treats the failure to disprove a claim as a reason to accept it.
Begging the Question assumes the conclusion within the premises instead of relying on missing counter-evidence.
Result
The statement commits the fallacy of Appeal to Ignorance.